How a homecoming dance inspired this Overland Park teen to create a charcuterie business

Shawnee Mission West senior Bella Messmer launched Bubba’s and Bella’s Boards after her homecoming dance last year. The business specializes in charcuterie boxes, charcuterie cups and grazing tables.
Curating colorful boards of meats, cheeses, nuts and fruits always came natural to Bella Messmer, she shared; it wasn’t until after she started her charcuterie business that she learned that passion was passed down from her grandmother.

“In the ’70s, Bella’s grandmother would host these lavish parties among other Miami socialites, and she would make these incredible charcuterie boards,” recalled Martina Messmer, Bella’s mother and co-founder of Bubba’s and Bella’s Boards. “The kids were supposed to be upstairs in our rooms, but I would sneak out and fill a plate with caviar and the little stinky cheeses. Bella didn’t know about the stories of her grandmother until we started the business.”